Showing Appreciation for Others

I was just thinking how much I love getting compliments. I don’t need them, but I love them, as it feels so nice to know I am appreciated. It definitely puts a smile on my face- a good thing in this world which puts so much emphasis on the negative instead of the positive.

The world tells us we are not slim enough, pretty enough, smart enough, adventurous enough, kind enough, rich enough, confident enough and so on. More often than not, this is not true, but with all those negative vibes floating around, it’s nice to have others tell us something nice or acknowledge when we do a good job at something. Encouragement helps lighten the load that comes with life in general and is also a good source of motivation for us to continue to do more good. Showing appreciation for others is one of the best ways to encourage someone.

I think that, too often, we think highly of others and forget to tell them how much we appreciate them, when it could have been the highlight of their day. We even forget to appreciate our own efforts and more often than not, give ourselves a hard time, which is why I suggest to employees I onboard (as Onboarding Manager of my company) that they make themselves a timeline documenting their accomplishments. This could be something as simple as making a customer really happy through their service. Accomplishments come in big and small sizes, but it’s often the smallest things that mean the most to others.

“Feeling appreciation and not sharing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

So let’s all get in the habit of showing others what we appreciate about them as soon as it comes to mind, and here are some easy ways we can show appreciation of others..

Tell them things that you appreciate about them as soon as they come to your mind.

Words of affirmation or compliments. If they look pretty TELL THEM, if they did a great job TELL THEM, if a customer was happy with their efforts TELL THEM, if they said something wise that taught you a lesson TELL THEM.

Acknowledge them publicly. Although we don’t need acceptance from the people around us to know we are making a positive impact on the world, it still feels good to be acknowledged publicly.

Write them a note. Don’t let ‘real paper notes’ be a thing of the past. With so much emphasis on gadgets, we forget how amazing it feels to receive an encouraging hand written note. This can make someone’s day truly special.

Spend time with them. With time constantly ticking away and no pause button, time is a precious gift.

Be a listening ear (ask for their high point of the day and their low point of the day). Try talking to someone about something, and see how long it is before they interrupt you. So why not sit down with someone you appreciate and ask them what their high point of the day was as well as their low point. Then more importantly, LISTEN. I share this example in onboarding, and it’s very effective.

Give a random gift. This doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s really the thought that counts more than anything else.

Offer to do a chore for them you know they don’t enjoy doing themselves.

Share with them the things you have learned from them and thank them for it. It’s great to know the actual differences we are making.

Share your lunch with them.

Write encouraging post it notes and stick them around the space they work in. We all need daily encouragement.

Write down a few bible verses on post it notes and stick them on the wall where they work and tell them how much they helped you and you would like to do something helpful and encouraging for them too.

During a break, ask what their biggest challenges are and offer to pray with them.

The best way to know if we are doing enough for others is to put ourselves in their shoes. What would we enjoy being done for us? Then do that for others. Lead by example and be the change the world needs more of.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

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About the Contributor

Yasmin Perucchetti was born in London, England and grew up in England, New Zealand, Hong Kong and has been in the Philippines for 10 years. Thanks to her father, she is half Italian, and the other half is mostly British. She worked as a model for many years before she got into the corporate world of HR onboarding and recruitment. She loves to sing and will take up any chance to karaoke with friends, she even enjoys writing her own music, or writing for her blog yasminperucchetti.com. She enjoys keeping active with various sports, boxing or zumba at home and enjoys eating healthy food followed by far too many desserts. She is quite a simple person that stays away from divas or big ego’s when I can, and welcomes a kind genuine heart.

2 Thoughts

thanks for this constant reminder …when i was a student ( gradeschool, high school, college and post grad ) i always show my appreciation thru simple notes and i always love it that way a personal note . its a plus factor that I gew up with pen and paper. in the busy world of ours where everything done is online.. i always look forward for the month of december and i enjoy buying gifts for everyone ( family, friends,relatives, and staff ) cause its my way of saying thank you to them.. gift giving is giving thanks indeed.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I don’t think paper notes should ever go out of style. They are just so personal and thoughtful. It’s also sweet of you to think of giving gifts to the people in your life ( we are blessed by blessing others :)). I need these daily reminders too.. More blessings to you 🙂

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